~3~

~~~~~~~~~~

~Laurel~

Encircling my hand around the glass, I downed my last shot of tequila. The tears were still streaming down my face and obviously there was nothing I could do about it. Kurt had insulted the little bit of pride I had for myself. And I felt hurt for allowing him do so.

A man slid on the empty chair beside me. "Hey beautiful," He said covering my hand with his. "I've been watching you and I can tell that you're in a bad shape. Something went wrong? I can make you feel so better."

I staggered up immediately. "Leave me alone! Stay the fuck away!" I shouted loud enough for  him to hear, got hold of my purse and walked out of the club.

When I had gotten to where my car was, I slumped on the floor and wept silently. When I was done, I opened my car and got in, trying to start my car but unfortunately it didn't want to start. I tried for another three times but still yet no result. It would start and then stop. I got out and tried to check what went wrong when my eyes caught the punctured tyres.

Fuck...

I grabbed my phone and dialed for Leon, but his number wasn't going through. No network. At last I decided to take a cab but the moment I stepped away from my car, someone grabbed me by my neck and I felt something cold and sharp pressed again my skin. Knife.

"You will do as you're told." The man whispered, turning my gaze to a dirty red car. "Now, walk slowly and get into that car or else, I'll slit your throat with this dagger."

I whimpered in fear and slowly walked to where his car was. There were other men inside. But just as I was about to get into the car, someone pulled the man and before I knew what was happening, he had fallen to the ground, holding his hand to his jaw. He was the man from the club.

"You basta--" The man on the floor paused and I turned around to see who he was talking to. My heart gave a loud thud when his gaze met mine.

"Step away from the woman." Kurt ordered, his fists tightened as his jaw clenched. "All of you."

The men in the car got out and took to their heels. He grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me toward a shiny sleek black car and I got in and strapped myself without second thoughts.

"Thank yo--"

"Save it, where's your house?"

"Hollywood boulevard. Before sunset plaza."

"Hollywood hills?"

"Yeah." I said and waited for the car to pull off on the road before closing my eyes.

  ~

"We're here."

I opened my eyes when I heard Kurt's deep, dark, censured voice.

I tried unstrapping myself to get out but unfortunately, it seemed luck wasn't working with me today.

"It's stuck.. I can't get..."

"Hold still." I paused when I felt Kurt's body move towards mine to unstrap my seat belt. The moment his body brushed against mine, my entire body was on electrical fire.

"Now you can get out." That same rude, arrogant and censured tone.

I got out and staggered in front of my apartment. He was still inside, his hand on the steering wheel, watching me closely.

Just when I thought he wasn't going to come out to say goodbye, he did. But he wasn't saying goodbye. Or so I thought.

He got out and rested his huge and tall frame on the bodice of the car. "This neighborhood is pretty quiet, don't you think? In some way, it's related to mine."

"I like the peace and quiet."

"And still you went to that club." He said slowly, his blue eyes watching me attentively.

"I only went there to maybe drink myself to stupor." I defended sluggishly.

"To mourn over your own misery."

I ignored his hurtful words and continued. "I can also say the same for you. What were you doing there? You maybe also went there to drink, get drunk and probably end up in bed with a woman."

He sighed, lowering his gaze before pinning them on mine again. "I don't do those."

I shook my head. Maybe I didn't hear him properly. "You don't do clubbing, drinking and shattering hearts?"

"No." He simply replied. "A real man wouldn't waste his time partying when he's got better things to do like making money."

I nodded my head and turned around but suddenly stopped again. "Do you wanna come in for a drink?" I asked, forgetting the fact that he was the one that had hurt me and made me go to that club in the first place.

He scowled, in a funny way. "So you can poison the chairman of the organization that pays you millions every year?"

I rolled my eyes at his silly assumption. "Of course not. If I want to poison you, I wouldn't do it today. You saved my life earlier."

"He sighed again. "Or so I thought."

  ~

"Mia can you please get us two cups of tea?" I said to Mia as Kurt took his seat on a sofa with his legs crossed.

"No it's okay." He brushed it aside. "I don't like my tea made by anyone apart from myself."

"Wine? Alcohol?"

"I told you, I don't drink." He got up and towered over Mia. "If only I could be shown the kitchen."

Mia who couldn't stop blushing profusely shyly pointed to the kitchen door. I couldn't blame her. He literally stopped hearts with his drop-dead gorgeous looks even though he doesn't agree doing so. The moment Kurt walked into the kitchen, I heaved a sigh of relief and plopped down on a sofa.

"Jesus! Laurel, where did you find this hot cake?" Mia squeaked excitedly beside me. I glared at her.

"Oh my God! He's extremely gorgeous! But this is the first time you've brought a man home who's ever asked for the kitchen. Others turn me to their slaves. Apart from your two best friends of course."

Just then Kurt walked out, his sleeves rolled up with two mugs in his hands as he walked toward where Mia and I were seated. I slowly observed him. A man as handsome and gorgeous as this. Wouldn't surprise me if he's been the invincible man winning that 'sexiest man alive' title for the past few years. Or maybe was he?

"Here. Thought you might like some." He handed me a mug of hot tea and took his seat opposite me, sipping his, slowly.

"I haven't got a chance to thank you properly for what you did earlier." I said, dropping my mug on the table. "You really di---"

".... didn't really have to because I had everything under control?" He finished for me and I couldn't help gape at him with that sinister smirk on his face.

Wait a second..he smirked?!

Kurt Kenton smirked?!

"Yeah that wasn't really what I wanted to say but yeah, I had everything under control."

"Should've said so a while ago."

I sighed, picked up my mug, sipped and laid it down again. "What were you doing there anyway? It wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

He rolled his eyes. "I was checking out one of the buildings I purchased. It was made with fake building materials."

"Good for you." I murmured to myself. "So what are you going to do about it? Ask for a refund?"

"Because I'm buying buildings?"

"What?"

"Good for you." He said and sipped on his tea again. He heard what I said.

"It's easy. The man can keep the money I paid off to him for the building. But I'll make sure he pays for laying such a foundation. Even the layouts are so poor."

"Well if I was the guy, I'll refund your money and get you out of my skin for good."

"Well if you were the man, I'd wonder if you had such amount on you right now."

Sonofabitch.

"Well I think I've overstayed my welcome." He rose up to his feet and I got up along him, and once again, he was towering over me. "I'd be going now." He turned but I quickly placed my hand on his arm, stopping him.

He snapped his head to my hand on his arm. "If I were you, I'd think twice before doing that again." I quickly removed my hand from his arm.

"See you sometime again, Laurel." With that he walked out of my apartment without looking back.

I found myself standing by the window as I watched him drive away till his car was out of sight.

Something was different about Kurt Kenton. Sometimes he could be arrogant and so ruthless, but not tonight, earlier he saved my life. It made me wonder if there was a better side to the man I've known him to become. The way he spoke with confidence and poise, made me wonder if I had seen another side of him today. A side that I'll be wanting to see again if he's not already in his tortoise shell. That shell of arrogance, coldness and loneliness.

If only I could break that shell....

~

I stood in front of the biggest building in the whole world. One of the best tech Corp ever. K-Corps.

I was going to submit my evidence of partnership with LAGS to Kurt Kenton even though he had specifically ordered everyone to pass it over to Mr Lewis, who'd later report to him. I didn't know why I was doing this but something told me it was a means to find out more about Kurt.

Walking into the premises of the building, I was stopped by five to six grumpy men who wore the same suit.

"Laurel Hyde." I introduced curtly. "I'm here to see Kurt Kenton."

"You'd have to seek an entry pass. This isn't one of your regular buildings." One of the men replied hoarsely.

What the?

"Gentlemen please, I assume you already know who I am, please let me in."

"Sir," another of the men spoke into an intercom. "There's a woman named Laurel Hyde here to see you."

After some seconds, he signaled to me. "Go in. But next time, dress decently. This isn't a theatre."

"Fuck you." I told him flatly.

"I'm a big fan." Another said and waved at me.

I ignored them all and stomped past them into the building. The moment I got in, hundreds of people crowded me, asking for autographs, some holding their phones out for pictures while some clung tightly to me. Others stood and watched.

"Enough!" A deep censured voice declared and the whole place immediately went more silent than a graveyard. Kurt.

Although the place I assume was the hall entrance;where elevators stood gracefully, was the most arrayed and likely too beautiful to be called a company's. You know what marveled me the most? The fact the man, likely to be the most gorgeous man on earth was standing in front of me, gloriously dressed in a black Armani suit that didn't do any hidings to his muscles and carved fine piece of body. Seriously, the man could steal a person's breath away.

"How did you find this place?" Kurt's voice echoed in the whole room.

"Is that even a question, Kurt?"

"It's Mr Kenton, miss Hyde." His eyes roamed to the files in my hands. "And what are you doing here?" He spoke with his regular, arrogant and censured tone.

"Here." I passed him the file but he left my hand hanging. "I'm here to submit my evidence of partnership with LAGS."

He shook his head. "Miss Hyde, I specifically told you to submit the documents to Mr Lewis. What part of my word did I not say in English?"

"Listen...."

"No you listen. Such disobedience and insolence to a simple order are not to be tolerated, most especially since I'm the one giving the order. Do I make myself clear?"

I stared at him in disbelief. This wasn't the man that saved my life last night. This wasn't the man that I invited into my home last night. This wasn't the man that made me tea last night. This was the usual Kurt. The one, everyone's used to.

"Don't talk to me that way." I said, tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm not one of your many employees. You can't just talk to anyone just because they're on a low-key with you."

"Oh, so you're angry? You're upset?"

"I have a right to be! I made myself who I am today so that no one would step on me. I didn't depend on anyone's wealth. I didn't inherit anything from anyone. You had better learn to talk to me properly or else..."

"Or else what?" He snapped, daring me to say anything else but I wasn't afraid of him. At least not right now. "You'd call one of your many toys?"

I clenched my jaw and threw the files on the floor. "I want my money back. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm not paying any partnership with you anymore. It's over. If you like, you can keep my endorsement all to your selfish self. Because that's what you are. A selfish, arrogant and incompetent bastard who thinks he can just control anyone." I sneered through clenched teeth. "I hope I never see your fucking face again." With that I stomped out of the building, got into my car and zoomed off. One thing was for sure, I would never see Kurt Kenton again.

~~~~~~~~~

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